Fated
by ohayou
Summary: A quiet night is a perfect time to muse about life and fate, among others. TYL.


**Hi there! I'm ohayou, and this is my first oneshot for KHR.  
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**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Akira Amano. I only own the idea for this crazy, philosophical-ish oneshot. :)  
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><p>Human beings, blessed and cursed with intelligence, are faced with numerous choices each day. From waking up at a certain time or not, to the clothes they wear, the things they do, the dreams they pursue, or even just the simple choice of whether to go left or right, a lot of choices are to be made. And with every choice that is made, a path is chosen; however, the parallel world of the other choice remains. Indeed, a lot of possibilities exist in this wide and infinite universe.<p>

In one of these paths, these worlds created by a certain combination of decisions and actions, a tall young man with brunette hair was looking at the night sky, contemplating such things as he relished the feeling of being alive—of waking up from that nightmare, where the world was falling apart and all he could do was slumber and rely upon his younger self. The night has finally become quiet, as the celebration for his return and their victory wound down and everyone else retired for the night. Everyone, that is, except for him, and a redhead who was approaching him, a warm cup of tea in hand.

"Tsunayoshi-kun," Irie Shoichi called the brunette out of his reverie, and offered him the tea.

"Ah, arigatou, Shoichi-kun," the Vongola boss replied. "Why aren't you asleep yet? I know you must be tired from the whole crisis. You've staged this whole thing, the present me wasn't here to help, and Hibari was only here for a while before his past self showed up. It's been hard on you," he said.

"Ah, don't say that, Tsunayoshi-kun," Shoichi replied, a little red in the face. "Maa, I guess I'm still high-strung from all the events that had happened, which is why I still can't relax fully. But I did get a lot of help. You were right," he said. "Your past selves were really amazing. This wouldn't have succeeded without them."

"Indeed. The chosen ones in the chosen time, huh?" Tsunayoshi said, with a hint of a smile.

"What's so funny?" Shoichi asked, a bit miffed. Tsunayoshi's smile became more pronounced.

"It's just that, a little while before you came here, I've been thinking about all these parallel worlds and fate," he said. "I mean, there are supposed to be infinite parallel worlds, right?"

"H-hai," Shoichi said, a bit unsure about where this was going.

"And yet," Tsunayoshi said, looking up at the night sky. "And yet, we only met in one of those infinite parallel worlds, and it became the only world where the chance to defeat Byakuran existed. A one in eight trillion world. Doesn't that sound like fate?" he finished, looking at Shoichi.

"It does sound like it, doesn't it?" Shoichi said after a while. "But even if that was fate, if your and your guardians' past selves did not give their best to defeat Byakuran, it would have amounted to nothing," he said.

"True. So what is it, in the end? Does fate just give an opportunity for us to take advantage of? So it's really just our choices in the end, is that it?" Tsunayoshi said. As Shoichi thought of a reply to the Vongola Decimo's unusual musings, Tsunayoshi spoke again. "I guess I'm just amazed by the fact that out of those infinite worlds, we only met in one," he said, chuckling. "Sorry about that, I guess I must be still a bit loopy from that long death-like state," he said.

"You do seem a little bit weird tonight," Shoichi said, laughing a bit awkwardly.

"Yeah, maybe that's it," Tsunayoshi said. "It's just amazing when I think back to how I got here," he said. "I met so many good people in so many different and unusual ways. Sometimes it's a little difficult not to think that there's some major force behind it all."

"I do think our choices have a big thing to do with it, though," Shoichi said. "You could have chosen to fight in a different way. Your past selves could have chosen not to give in to their fear and weaknesses. But they did not; they did their best, and here we are," he finished, shrugging. Tsunayoshi just smiled.

"Yeah. Well, I'm sorry if I bothered you with all this talk. Reborn would probably be disturbed by my behavior and would kick me just so I would go back to my no-good self," Tsunayoshi said, laughing. Shoichi grinned. The two guys sat back and continued to observe the stars, enjoying the peace that had finally been acquired, when a shout pierced the quiet air.

"Juudaime!" the unmistakable voice of Gokudera rang loud and clear.

"Your guardians still seem to be adjusting to the fact that you're alive, Decimo," Shoichi joked.

"Ah, you're right. I always have to be within their sights, but Gokudera is the worst. He panics every time I'm out of his sight, and he almost went with me to the bathroom just so he can keep an eye on me!" Tsunayoshi complained, though Shoichi noted the fondness with which it was said. Tsunayoshi's eyes softened. "Well, they did go through a hard time. It was cruel, but it had to be done," he said.

"Yes, it was a sacrifice we had to make," Shoichi said.

"All I can do now is assure my guardians that I will never disappear like that again, I guess," Tsunayoshi said, finishing his tea. "Well, I'm off to calm Gokudera down. Who knows what he might blow up in his search? Or worse, he might wake Reborn, and I don't think I'm ready for his punishments at the moment. You better go to sleep soon, Shoichi. Get some rest, you deserve it," Tsunayoshi said, patting Shoichi's shoulder, as he stood up to look for the volatile Storm guardian.

Shoichi watched the departing Vongola boss. "Fate, huh. I guess there's some truth to it," he murmured. It is a one in eight trillion chance, after all, that he would meet the Vongola Decimo, but he did, and in the most mundane way possible. Like fixing a flat tire on a random third-year middle-schooler's bike. Maybe there is some force behind it all. But he's not about to tell Decimo that.

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><p><strong>And this is what happens when I pull an all-nighter for a school assignment. XD<strong>

**It's been a long time since I last wrote fanfiction, so I'm not sure how I did. I'm just glad I was able to finish this. Plus, this wasn't checked by my beta, since she doesn't watch KHR. And so, I'd really appreciate feedback. But please don't be too harsh! :)**


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